Households throughout the UK could save over £600m a year if we sent as little of our rubbish into the ground as other countries in Europe, new figures reveal.

Analysis by the Local Government Association compares the proportion of rubbish being thrown into the ground by people in 10 European countries. It finds that per person, the UK is throwing nearly twice as much rubbish in the ground than the French and a staggering 19 times more per person than the Dutch.

In the UK, councils are charged £40 in tax for every tonne of rubbish they throw in the ground. At current rates this costs £620m a year or £30 for every household in the country. The figures show that if we matched the Germans, by only throwing one per cent of our rubbish into the ground, householders would save £609m and pay just 53p a year each in landfill tax. If Brits were beating the Dutch, we would pay just £1.60 a year and triumphing over the French would cut landfill taxes by £12 a year.

Councils say that the tax they pay on throwing rubbish in the ground goes straight into Whitehall coffers and there is no evidence they are getting it back. If the money was returned in a clear and transparent way, town hall bosses say they could improve recycling services across the country and push the UK up Europe’s landfill league table.

Cllr Paul Bettison, Chairman of the Local Government Association Environment Board, said:

”When it comes to throwing less rubbish in the ground Brits are languishing in the lower leagues. If councils knew they were getting landfill tax back, they could build the recycling facilities that would help this country compete with our European rivals. Being the recycling champions of Europe could save council taxpayers across the country a staggering £609m.

“As well as being bad for the environment, throwing rubbish in the ground threatens to hit council taxpayers in the pocket unless we cut back. Councils and council taxpayers could soon face further fines of £150 for every tonne of rubbish that is landfilled above a set amount.

“It’s more important than ever that people recycle as much as possible and councils are working with residents to make this happen. Despite numerous requests, the Government won’t show how landfill tax is being given back to councils. This cash could be used to keep council tax down and build the waste and recycling facilities this country needs.

”Local people deserve great credit for boosting our recycling rate in recent years. If it wasn’t for the hard work of UK households, we’d be throwing even more rubbish in the ground. It’s time the Government showed everyone where landfill tax is going and helped the UK become the recycling champions of Europe.”